The present set up has for at least 6 years not helped the progress of our youth players. Sir Matt had a vision on how we should play, he reorganised the club from the junior players through to the first team, so that so that a 16 year old in the A team played the same way as a first team player. This brought success as if the player made it through the ranks when he became a first team player he already knew how the team would play, all he had to do was perfect his ball skills. Managers after Sir Matt paid little attention to the youth side, we were less successful. Sir Alex, recognised the strengths of Sir Matt's system and started the reorganisation of the clubs coaching and playing policy from the 10 /12 year olds through to the senior side, so at all levels the playing and coaching was the same. This meant once again that young players coming into the first team had already been accustomed to playing the same tactics and methods but at a lower level and knew what was expected.
Once Sir Alex retired this system once again was abandoned whilst successive managers concentrated on the first team squad, as a result we have reached the point where coaching at the various playing levels appears to be fragmented
Where once the chain links from school boy level to first team level were continuous, now the chain is broken resulting in youth players coming into the first team unsure of how they should play and what is expected of them. You cannot coach that from the side line on match day neither can you do it over a few weeks with the first team squad.